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Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by the board of governors after allegations he sexually harassed or assaulted a number of women over the past three decades.
Key points:
- Board voted "well in excess of the required two-thirds majority" to revoke membership
- Expulsion follows allegations from a number of women that Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them
- Weinstein insists that any sexual contact he had was consensual
In a brief statement, the organisation behind the Oscars said its board voted "well in excess of the required two-thirds majority" to revoke Weinstein's membership during an emergency meeting this morning.
It said its decision sent a message that "sexually predatory behaviour" in the film industry was over.
"We do so not simply to separate ourselves from someone who does not merit the respect of his colleagues, but also to send a message that the era of wilful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behaviour and workplace harassment in our industry is over," the academy said.
"What's at issue here is a deeply troubling problem that has no place in our society.
"The board continues to work to establish ethical standards of conduct that all Academy members will be expected to exemplify."
A representative for Weinstein had no immediate comment.
Members of the academy's board include Hollywood figures like director Steven Spielberg and actors Tom Hanks and Whoopi Goldberg, while the organisation itself comprises of more than 8,000 people from the film industry and invites members to join based on their contributions to film.
The expulsion from the academy follows allegations reported by The New York Times and The New Yorker from a number of women that Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them in incidents dating back to the 1980s.
Since the story broke more than a week ago, some 30 women — from lesser-known names to megastars like Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow — have emerged to allege disturbing experiences with Weinstein as a growing chorus of public figures have moved to denounce him.
A police recording of Weinstein harassing Gutierrez in a New York hotel in 2015 has also surfaced.
The fallout has also seen Weinstein fired as co-chairman of the Weinstein Company, and his wife, designer Georgina Chapman, reportedly walk out on him.
Weinstein, 65, has insisted through a spokeswoman that any sexual contact he had was consensual, and he has denied accusations of criminal sexual harassment, rape and sexual assault.
He is being investigated by British police over an alleged sexual assault in London in the 1980s, according to a media report.
What does the academy's decision mean?
Weinstein was a member of the executives' branch of the academy and, according to the BBC, his expulsion means he will no longer be able to vote for nominees or winners in the Oscars.
It is a historic move, with the Academy having only expelled one other member, 83-year-old actor Carmine Caridi, after he violated the Academy's anti-piracy policy which prohibited members from sharing early copies of films for Oscars consideration in 2004.
Weinstein is the first to be expelled over allegations of sexual assault.
He is also a member of the Producers Guild of America, which has not said if it has made a decision regarding his membership.
France has started the process of stripping Weinstein of his Legion of Honor, France's highest civilian distinction, President Emmanuel Macron's office said.
Also this week, Weinstein was suspended from the British film academy BAFTA.
Weinstein's brother called for expulsion
Weinstein's brother and co-founder of The Weinstein Company said he had no idea his brother was "the type of predator" he is accused of being.
Bob Weinstein, 62, who also partnered with his brother in Miramax, says he is in a "waking nightmare" as The Weinstein Company struggles to stay afloat in the midst of the sexual assault allegations against the producer.
Despite widespread predictions the company will be forced to shut down or be sold, Bob Weinstein said "there is a plan to come out on the other side".
In an interview published on Saturday by The Hollywood Reporter, he said he and Weinstein have barely spoken in five years, explaining they ran separate divisions of their company from opposite coasts.
"I'll tell you what I did know: Harvey was a bully, Harvey was arrogant, he treated people like [crap] all the time," Bob Weinstein said.
"I'm mortified and disgusted by my brother's actions. And I am sick for the victims. And I feel for them."
Bob Weinstein said he knew his brother was unfaithful to his wife, but had no idea of the alleged acts of sexual harassment and assault.
Hachette Book Group, the US publishing house of French group Lagardere, terminated the Weinstein Books imprint on Thursday.
ABC/wires
Topics: film-movies, arts-and-entertainment, sexual-offences, law-crime-and-justice, academy-awards-oscars, united-states
First posted